Into the House of Liars
by Siras Cortage
Summary: It is Humanity's darkest hour. Beset on all sides by the enemies of their ancient protector, the Traveler, the situation of mankind is dire. The task of their defense falls to the Guardians. Warriors chosen by the Light of the traveler to protect the people. Follow Spirit, a Titan, throughout his journey in his quest to help save humanity.
1. Chapter 1

It started again. The cold drops of water falling from the heavens were cool relief from the burning in his chest. Always burning. He opened his eyes, his blurred vision making it difficult to discern his surroundings. He rolled to his side. Long, thin reeds of grass brushed against the bare skin of his arms, sticking to his wet clothing. _"Where am I?"_ Spirit thought.

As he returned to reality, his senses began to come to him in snippets. Weak kneed, he tried to stand. It was slow progress, but if he tried to move too quickly, he was sure to fall again. He stood, hunched. It was dark, nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead of him with any true detail. The rain was coming down harder, causing a cacophony of pitters and patters, and soaking him to the bone. He reached up toward his face, pushing his medium length hair back, trusting the water would keep it out of his way. _"How did I get here?" _he mused silently. The answer evaded him.

This storm was quickly becoming a monsoon. It felt more like he was standing under a waterfall than out in a storm by now. He looked to the sky, into the inky blackness of the night. "Perfect." He muttered, "Well, it can't get any worse…"

As if the gods had heard him, the earth shook with an explosive crack. A rod of brilliant white light illuminated the sky as if it was daytime. Spirit was reviled by what he saw. Humanoid figures surrounded him, staring forward. Their flesh wrapped taut around their bones like wet paper. Empty sockets gazed onward blindly; as time had taken their eyes. Jaws hung slack, as gravity had overcome the stiffness of the dead. This was a field of corpses. As soon as the light had appeared, it was gone; leaving him alone in the void.

Spirit's' eyes snapped open and he moved his hands quickly to shield himself from his mind's eye. He let out a shout, tensed up. After several painstaking seconds, he opened his eyes to look around, to take inventory of his senses. The only water on his person was his own cold sweat. There was no pattering of rain, simply the faint hum of his ship's engines. "Guardian, are you alright?" a metallic voice asked. Spirit lowered his arms to see a jagged white cube hovering about a foot away from him, its circular center, glowing blue, scanned him with what 'felt' like concern. Ghost was its name. Well, it was a Ghost of the Traveller; an artificial intelligence born of the Traveler's dying breaths. Their purpose- to seek out beings capable of wielding the Traveler's Light, and defending Humanity to their very end.

"Fine, Ghost…" Spirit groaned. He finally remembered why he was where he was. "How long was I out? What's our ETA?" He asked, looking out of the viewport in front of him. Earth was roughly the size of his fist, and the moon his thumbnail in the foreground of a sea of stars.

"You were asleep for four hours, thirty two minutes." Ghost absolutely. "We will be at earth in twenty-seven minutes, landing in the southwestern area of North America."

Spirit grunted in acknowledgement as he hefted himself out of the pilots chair, his boots making a soft click as they met the cold metal floor. He walked back to the porthole behind his chair. "I do love how chipper you are when you wake up, Spirit." Ghost chirped at him.

Spirit grunted again as he slid down the ladder to the cargo hold. He didn't feel like talking to Ghost right now, through no fault of the droid's. It was just that he needed to clear his mind before the mission set out before him. The cargo hold was spacious, enough to hold his Sparrow, a recon speeder commonly used by guardians, as well as several other guardians. Off in the corner, on metal racks stood his armor and weapons; between them stood a mirror. Arctic white with an azure highlight. The armor bore multiple scars of conflict. Pockmarked by bullets, grenades, and even a few drawing cuts from blades. It was his only shield from the enemies of humanity. 

He moved into the corner, catching himself in the mirror. Clad in a black padded bodysuit, ending at his wrists and leading into form fitting black boots, the tall man cut quite the figure. The suit hid much of his life from the world, the scars from his armor wasn't enough; stories where something beyond skill or luck had saved his life. His skin was very pale, accented by his angular features and pale blue eyes. His hair was jet black, kept short. The bangs did not fall past his eyebrows, and the rest did not go past his ears. He was surprised that more people didn't mistake him for an awoken.

Slowly he strapped himself into his armor. The weight familiar and comfortable. He was aware of the automated processes in the ship that could put his armor on more quickly, but he could never do it. There was something about the process that helped him through the calm before battle. Besides, it was hardly difficult. The plates attached directly to the mesh suit. Within a few moments, he was armor clad to the neck. He looked to the final piece, his helmet. The command center for the rest of his armor. He always saved it for last. The 'jaw' of the helmet held the armored parts. The respirators, gas filters, and microphone were all contained within. The upper half was mirrored, allowing him to see outward without others seeing inward. He couldn't help but smile as he grabbed it. Fitting it over his head, it sealed to the mesh suit. He was ready.

With a slight clicking noise he felt the armor activate. Alone, he was just a man, but through the suit nearly every one of his abilities was augmented and heightened. He could hear more acutely, run faster, and hit harder. He moved to his weapons. First, he grabbed his sidearm. A handcannon that strapped to his thigh. Second, his primary weapon. A wellmade autogun gifted to him by The Speaker himself. He smiled to himself as he put the rifle onto his back.

He went back up to the cockpit and saw Ghost flitting back and forth through the cockpit, quickly, it noticed him. "Ah, Spirit! Dashing as ever, I see." he quipped, "We are over North America, and the ship is set on autopilot. Are you ready to descend?" Ghost asked.

"Yeah… Just a sec…" Spirit said, waving him off as he stepped toward the viewport. He stared down at the planet he called home. Scarred, but standing. It was still beautiful in his eyes. It was difficult to believe that in just a few minutes, he'd be in a warzone. All for a rumor. There was no use complaining about it, such was not the way of a Titan. "Alright. I'm ready." Spirit confirmed. He closed his eyes as he waited for Ghost to port him to the surface. For what felt like a second, the ground fell out from beneath him. He felt his stomach churn and the falling sensation took him. He never liked porting, but it was out of the question to try and land in such a hostile area. Every Fallen within one hundred clicks would be on them immediately.

Suddenly, he felt himself fall back into reality. Spirit opened his eyes and felt himself land on the red earth of this land. It somewhat reminded him of Mars. He peered out over the landscape for any signs of enemy contact. Nothing yet. It was flat and featureless, a few hills with sprigs of grass growing from them. There were some scattered outcroppings of rocks. It looked clear, but looks could be deceiving.

Ghost hovered up next to him and scanned the area. "According to the Speaker's message, we need to rendezvous with a Hunter by the name of Reis. He knew far more than he was able to transmit back to the City."

"And where exactly is he?" Spirit asked bluntly, removing his rifle from his back.

"Unknown. He would not say over an unsecured channel. He seemed to be trying very hard to keep his presence hidden." Ghost replied.

"Perfect…" Spirit groaned, looking out over the horizon. The sun was still high in the sky over this arid landscape. A bright yellow hole burning through the blue sky. They still had several hours to find him before night fell. "But, who would be able to accurately track a hunter? They're masters of hiding." Spirit questioned as he started walking, his gun pointed at the ground.

"I do not know. Perhaps someone adept at hunting the Hunters." Ghost mused.

"Well, I hope we find him before whoever that would be does." Spirit replied. Some part of him was getting a bad feeling in his gut. If Spirit had learned one thing during his service, it was to pay attention to those feelings. 


	2. Chapter 2

Spirit clenched his jaw. This was a futile effort. He was a Titan, not a tracker. His people were meant to wage war and defend the walls of the Last City against her enemies, not search the desert for missing Hunters. They were attackers, clean up crews; unfit for a task like this. He felt the powerful, hot winds pushing him about, searching his body for anything loose to tug him by. Unfortunately, they found nothing of note.

Spirit made his way up a rocky enclave in order to gain better vantage of the land around him. It felt as if there was nothing at all. Least of all any reason for a Hunter to be so paranoid. It didn't make any sense. Reis' paranoia, or the mission as a whole. Sending a Titan to find a Hunter that didn't want to be found was like… Sending a Titan to find a hunter that didn't want to be found. He could think of no better simile.

"Guardian!" Ghost called out from some distance away.

Spirit snapped from his reverie of complaints to look to the floating cube that found its way next to him. "What?"

"My sensors indicate multiple lifeforms closing in on us, as well as scraps of Fallen transmissions." Ghost said matter of factly, "They will be upon our position in any minute."

"Dammit!" Spirit cursed as he looked around for a defensible position in this arid hellhole. He'd be a sitting duck out here if he didn't get moving. "From what direction?"

"South at 170 degrees. Closing quickly." Ghost responded, lining the information directly to his Helmet's HUD display. A blinking light kept him updated on the motion.

"_I can't stay out here." _Spirit thought, _"Time to get out of here." _He jumped off the outcropping and landed in the sand with a thud, putting his gun on his back and running as quickly as he could in the opposite direction. "Ghost! Keep up!" he shouted back.

Spirit kept running and didn't stop. He couldn't stop. Not with the Fallen right behind him. Not in open terrain against their whole crew.

"Spirit, there is a ravine two hundred meters out, perhaps it will have a place to find shelter" Ghost chimed in. A marker appeared at the corner of his eye.

There was no other choice. He slid in the sand, creating a drag, then bolted in the direction of the ravine. In a handful of seconds, he was there, approaching the lip. No time to slow down. Spirit moved to the lip and moved into a slide, feet first. He felt his rear and lower back brush against the sand, rocks, and rubble as he rushed headlong into the ravine. The bottom wasn't too far away, a several meters down. He landed feet first on the ground, he knew he'd be feeling that on his knees later, and came to a slow stop. Spirit's gaze darted around, "Ghost! I need a hand!" He called.

"On it." The cube flew out from behind him and let out several bright flashes of light. "There's what looks like a minor cave to the left," He turned to point at it, "It may provide enough cover. I suggest you move, they will be here any moment."

Spirit followed Ghost's gaze, it was nothing to look twice at. A crack in the ground overshadowed by a boulder. Who knew how deep it was? He shook his head free of the thoughts. Anything was better than death at the hands of the Fallen. Or worse, living through the battle to be taken prisoner. He jogged over to the mouth of the opening, and quickly slid himself down.

He was as careful as he could be, but didn't expect his back and legs to meet slick metal. He lost his traction and slid fully down into the crevice. He couldn't see anything in the darkness, and his arms flailed out to catch anything he could. _"Damn! Damn! Damn!" _Spirit shouted in his head. Then, impact. He felt his legs hit a hard surface. Knees buckling, he tumbled forward. He struck his head on something hard, hearing a loud hiss. If not for his helmet, he'd be dead. He laid still for a moment, trying to get his bearings. Why was there a damned metal chute there?

He heard a murky, metallic voice poke through his semi-conscious state. "Guardian? I'd prefer if you weren't dead. You are meant for more than this."

Spirit groaned and felt around his helmet, "Don't worry, Ghost. I'm still here for now." He chuckled and sat up. "Hey, can I get a light?"

Ghost glowed brightly in response. His 'eye' glowing a bright white color, giving off enough light to see dimly. "Better, Guardian?"

"Yeah… Thanks, Ghost." He mumbled, feeling at where he cracked his head over his helmet. He squinted his eyes. The visor was completely cobwebbed. Useless.

"My pleasure, Guardian." Ghost replied in a sing song voice as Spirit felt for the clasps on his helmet. He hit the two buttons and the locks released. He pulled the helmet off and looked at it in the dim lighting. Whatever he hit his head on did a number on the helmet. The visor was completely useless, and a large chunk was knocked out of where his temple was lying just an inch underneath.

"Dammit…" He grumbled as he tossed the helmet aside.

"We should be quiet. The Fallen have closed in on our position. My scanners indicate that they are descending into the Ravine now.

Spirit silenced himself as he stood up slowly, mindful of his surroundings now. He slowly backed further into the 'cave,' his shoes making light clicking noises on the metal beneath him. He looked at the walls and roof. Definitely rock… But beneath him, it was metal, like a walkway of some sort. He reached back and took his rifle off his back, leveling it at the entrance in front of him. Even if they did find his little hiding place, he could easily finish off a crew if he was smart with his munitions…. He hoped.

"Lights off." He whispered, taking a knee and leveling it on the entrance. The light died away and left him in darkness, save the minor light flowing in from the mouth of the crevice. Spirit breathed slowly, evenly, his gaze narrowing on the entrance. The minutes ticked by. He heard them, speaking their strange tongue back and forth. Shouted orders, and the skittering of them moving about. Nobody had found their way in yet.

After what felt like hours, he heard the voices recede, the movement stop. He held his position, slowly counting to sixty. Over and over again. At least fifteen times. Finally, Spirit whispered, "Ghost?"

"No traces of life, Guardian." Ghost confirmed.

Spirit got off of his knee. "Alright. Well going out that way seems like a bad idea, they'll be swarming until they find us… Let's see where this takes us." He turned down to look into the tunnel as Ghost lit up again. The walkway led beyond the light.

"Did I mention that I love our adventures?" Ghost asked, making an attempt at humor.

"At least they give you a good story to tell." Spirit mumbled.


	3. Chapter 3

"Scan complete." Ghost chimed. "Two Hundred Meters, there is an end to the tunnel, and if I'm not mistaken, it might be a door."

Spirit nodded, after well over an hour of wandering in the black tunnel with nothing but Ghost as a light, this may have been the best news Spirit heard all day. This could get really bad really quickly. He was cut off from his ship, deep in enemy territory, and no helmet. That wasn't just about head protection, it also meant that he could kiss his HUD goodbye.

Within a moment Ghost's service light flashed onto a metal sheen in front of him. He put his arm up as the reflection went directly into his eyes. "So, are you right? Was it a door?"

"Indeed. Though I don't see any control panel, but it seems like with proper force you mig-"

Spirit took no time in waiting. It was either get through that door, starve to death, or take his chances with the Fallen above. He walked forward, brought his knee up and launched his foot into the metal door. With the enhancements from the suit, along with his own physical ability, the door came loose, letting light into their tunnel.

Spirit took his rifle off his back and made his way through the new door. His foot was met with a metal scaffolding extending two meters out from him. Spirit looked up and was met by steep stone walls reaching high above him. "Ghost. Where are we?" He called back.

"Well, without the stone jamming my sensors, we appear to be inside a large canyon. Actually the second largest on the planet." Ghost explained.

Spirit nodded, "Well, that's the where..." He stomped on the scaffolding. "Though that doesn't explain the why. These aren't human. What could they be looking for?"

"The files indicate that there was once a large base here. Perhaps the Fallen are doing what they do best."

"Picking at our bones."

"Exactly."

Spirit moved to the edge of the scaffolding and leaned over the rail. That was a long way down. He pursed his lips. "Well, maybe whatever our Hunter found is down there."

"Didn't you sprint into a hole because of a few Fallen earlier?" Ghost asked.

"More than a few, Ghost." Spirit corrected.

"So your logic is to proceed into a place absolutely crawling with Fallen?"

"Well, now I'm following a lead."

"I'll try to keep you from getting shot, I guess."

"Much obliged." Spirit replied as he checked his rifle over, walking down the scaffolding to the canyon floor below. This was beginning to get stranger and stranger. A missing hunter, an army of Fallen, and now an ages old military installation. What else was going to come his way?

Sadly, his question wouldn't go unanswered for long. He heard a grunting noise coming from behind him. He whirled, Vandals. Four of them. He raised his rifle and squeezed the trigger. Familiar recoil pushed into his shoulder as he let a burst into one of their chests, shredding its shields and snuffing out its existence. The rest drew their blades and rushed toward Spirit. He squeezed the trigger once more and downed the second before it could get halfway to him.

They were upon him quickly. The first leapt forward at him with both of his blades raised, intent on burying them in his head. He quickly stepped to the side, and pushed his shoulder forward into the monster, and it let out a scream as it plummeted to its death. He raised his rifle to the last one, intending on ending it quickly. It reached out with lightning speed and knocked his rifle out of the way with its blade, and it scattered into the nearby wall. His guard was breached and the Vandal tore his second blade down across Spirit's chestplate. He heard the sound of metal being scraped on concrete as the blade bit into his armor. It caught the blade and protected him.

Spirit quickly counterattacked, shooting his fist forward into the Vandal's chest and heard a satisfying crack of what he assumed was its ribcage. It stumbled back, releasing his grip on the blade, leaving it in Spirit's chestplate. Spirit growled as he grabbed the blade and wrenched it from the armor. He forgot, no helmet, no enclosed environment. That meant no shields. He whipped the blade at the Vandal and rushed forward. The Vandal batted the sword out of the way with his own balade, but didn't see Spirit coming in time. He grabbed the alien by the head and slammed its head into the rail with great force, enough to crack the helmet. He then threw the beast back into the stone wall, further stunning it. He prowled forward and planted his foot into the chest of the Vandal once again while it struggled to stand against the wall. It slumped down, dazed and unable to stand properly. Spirit unholstered his handcannon and pressed it against the Vandal's temple. He pulled the trigger and let out a deep sigh of relief. He had won.

"Nice job warning me about them." Spirit remarked as he walked over his rifle and kneeled down, scanning it for any damages from the fall.

"Well, I only said I'd stop you from getting shot." Ghost shot back.

Spirit chuckled, that was the closest thing to an apology that he'd get.

"Though I guess you deserve to know... I doubt that that firefight will go unnoticed. This isn't the outskirts, this is their territory." Ghost said, his tone somewhat grave.

"Which means that they're not used to Guardians poking into their business." Spirit confirmed. The gears were turning, "Which means that autorifle fire isn't common... Which means... Damn." He put his rifle onto his back and began to run down the scaffolding. He had to dissappear before the Fallen scouts were able to catch wind of him.

"I do love it when you figure things out, Guardian. I feel like a teacher." Ghost remarked. Spirit chose not to respond.

The descent down to the canyon floor was uneventful, and quickened by his pace. He felt a pang of relief when his feet met solid ground. "Ghost. How far out is the installation?" Spirit asked as he took his bearings.

"Seven hundred meters out." Ghost said.

"What was this base used for?" Spirit asked, "I doubt you'd put soldiers or aircraft at the bottom of a canyon."

"I am not sure, my records do not shed any light on the subject."

"When do they?" Spirit asked, irritated.

"Less than you'd think." Spirit responded.

Spirit kept moving, he'd try to find an empty building and hole up in there until Ghost could get a more in depth scan of the area. There were some buildings built into the wall of the Canyon further up, he wondered what they were used for. Any buildings that he saw were mostly rubble, probably destroyed during the collapse, or a Fallen turf war. That, and red rocks. A lot of red rocks. Silently, he cursed his armor colors. He stuck out like a sore thumb wherever he went.

"Guardian, four o' clock, twenty meters." Ghost ordered.

Spirit's eyes followed. Ghost rarely 'ordered' anything. He saw a mostly intact building, and he made his way toward it. "I take it no life signs?"

"Nothing large enough to be a threat, unless you consider rats a lethal enemy."

"Only to sarcastic floating cubes." Spirit explained, shaking his head. He went to where the door would have been, were it not gone, probably amongst the rubble, and made his way inside.

"Now," Ghost began, "My sensors indicate that there is still power running to this building, and I was curious as to why."

"This installation still has electricity?" Spirit said, his eyes widening, "Why?"

"Well, I'll find out once you're done asking questions that I've already answered or ones I'm trying to learn." Ghost replied snarkily.

"What has you so cranky?" Spirit asked.

"Not all of us take a perverse enjoyment in monsters trying to shoot, stab, and otherwise maim us." Ghost said simply.

Spirit rolled his eyes and stood against the wall, keeping an eye on the door while Ghost flitted off to do its investigations. He heard the sound of Ghost's beam, but didn't care to look, Ghost would tell him if he found anything.

"By the Traveller..." Ghost said, shocked.

"What? What is it?" Spirit said as he walked toward Ghost's floating form. It hovered over an old computer terminal, still active after all this time. In the chair near it there slumped a human skeleton. He shook his head, another casualty to the Darkness.

"Well, I've figured out why the installation still has power." Ghost said, "Its guarding something incredibly important."

"You can't be serious." Spirit said in disbelief, "Well, that also explains why its still standing."

"The system continually references a program named Herodotus. Apparantly it has access to all forms of activity in the base. Doors, cameras, even the air conditioning."

"Is that still working?" Spirit asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Doubt it, but it has access to the commands. I've tried to contact it, it just seems to ignore me. I think this terminal is malfunctioning. If we want to know more than we'd have to get deeper to find the computer's nexus."

"Were you able to get a map while poking around in there?" Spirit asked.

"Yes. I believe that this is what Reis found before he went dark." Ghost continued.

"We might even find him in there." Spirit wondered.

"I never thought of you as the optimistic type." Ghost said.

Spirit nodded, "No, but I do believe in Karma." he replied.


End file.
